Weiss Ratings Reiterates "Buy (B-)" Rating for Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI)

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "buy (b-)" rating reaffirmed by analysts at Weiss Ratings in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday,Weiss Ratings reports.

HLI has been the topic of several other research reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Houlihan Lokey from $185.00 to $209.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Houlihan Lokey from $192.00 to $213.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, September 8th. Zacks Research lowered Houlihan Lokey from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, September 29th. Wall Street Zen lowered Houlihan Lokey from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 2nd. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised Houlihan Lokey from a "hold" rating to a "moderate buy" rating and increased their price target for the company from $185.00 to $232.00 in a research report on Monday, July 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $213.83.

Houlihan Lokey Trading Down 1.5%

HLI opened at $191.31 on Wednesday. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $198.28 and its 200 day moving average price is $181.45. Houlihan Lokey has a 12-month low of $137.99 and a 12-month high of $211.78. The firm has a market cap of $13.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.21 and a beta of 0.87.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.69 by $0.45. Houlihan Lokey had a return on equity of 23.75% and a net margin of 16.46%.The firm had revenue of $605.35 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $573.07 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.22 EPS. Houlihan Lokey's revenue was up 17.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that Houlihan Lokey will post 5.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, General Counsel Christopher M. Crain sold 500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $196.22, for a total transaction of $98,110.00. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Chairman Irwin Gold sold 6,811 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $202.75, for a total value of $1,380,930.25. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 47,311 shares of company stock worth $9,477,040 in the last quarter. 22.83% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Lbmc Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Houlihan Lokey during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $219,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA lifted its position in Houlihan Lokey by 12.4% during the 3rd quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA now owns 2,817 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $580,000 after acquiring an additional 311 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in Houlihan Lokey by 7.7% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 5,079 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,043,000 after acquiring an additional 361 shares during the period. Osaic Holdings Inc. lifted its position in Houlihan Lokey by 14.5% during the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 10,258 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,838,000 after acquiring an additional 1,296 shares during the period. Finally, American Trust acquired a new stake in Houlihan Lokey during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $346,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.07% of the company's stock.

About Houlihan Lokey

Houlihan Lokey, Inc, an investment banking company, provides merger and acquisition (M&A), capital market, financial restructuring, and financial and valuation advisory services worldwide. It operates in three segments: Corporate Finance, Financial Restructuring, and Financial and Valuation Advisory.

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